Determining the concentration of easily assimilable organic carbon in drinking water

This paper describes a method for determining the potential of a water for supporting microbial regrowth in a drinking water distribution system. The method is based on the growth of fluorescent pseudomonads as a function of the concentration of easily assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in water. Using this method, the authors analyzed water samples from various stages of water treatment and water in which samples of nonmetallic piping materials had been placed. The concentration of AOC in water increased if the water was ozonated or placed in contact with plasticized polyvinyl‐chloride.